Frequently Asked Questions

1) Why won't my Windows 98 computer recognize this DiskGO™ HD?
You must have Windows 98 Second Edition installed, or you need to have updated your installation of Windows 98 using the Windows Update website. You must also install the driver for your DiskGO™ HD before you connect it to the computer.

2) Are there any special handling instructions I need to follow when I use my DiskGO™ HD?
Never remove the device if the light is flashing. This means data is being accessed on the DiskGO™ HD and removing it can cause data corruption, loss, or loss of functionality. Be sure to properly eject the device before removing it from the system. In the Mac OS, drag the desktop item to the trash just like a CD or floppy. In Windows XP or 2000, use the "Safe Removal" icon located in the system tray, and be sure that any windows that are open and displaying data on the device are closed before you shut it down. Windows 98SE and ME users can unplug the device only when the light is not flashing.

3) My DiskGO™ HD works fine at home, but when I take it to work, my computer does not recognize it. How can I get it to recognize?
If your work computer is connected to a network, it is probably being recognized. Use of mapped network drives may be the problem. Network drive letter mapping will override Windows' built-in drive lettering for removable devices. This is a common occurrence in Windows XP and may happen win Windows 2000 as well. This is easily resolved. With the DiskGO plugged into the computer, go to Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Disk Management. This tool will show you information about all of the volumes on your computer. One of the volumes will be your DiskGO. Simply right-click on that volume, and choose "Change Drive Letter and Path" from the menu. Choose one of the available drive letters from the drop-down list which will appear. Now you should be able to see both partitions of the DiskGO in "My Computer".

4) I get a low power warning when I plug my DiskGO™ HD into a USB port on my keyboard or hub. What's wrong?
Our DiskGO™ HD requires powered USB ports. Most keyboards and USB hubs operate from power supplied by the USB ports to which they are connected; this may not leave enough power for the DiskGO™ HD to operate properly. Connecting both power connectors of the DiskGO™ HD to both USB ports on the computer should allow it to power up properly. Occasionally, the front USB ports on some new computers are unpowered. If so, connecting instead to the ports on the back of the computer will usually solve the issue.

5) Why don't you have drivers for NT 4.0?
Unfortunately, Microsoft does not support USB mass storage devices in NT 4.0. There are some third party mass storage device drivers available on the Internet, but we do not support them or the use of any DiskGO™ HD device in a NT 4.0 environment.

6) Can I use my DiskGO™ HD on both PC and Mac?
Yes. You will have to make sure the DiskGO™ is formatted using a PC format (we feel FAT32 is best). We have found that formatting the device using a PC is best when using it between platforms. Formatting it for MS-DOS on a Macintosh has been known to cause problems for some customers.

7) How is my DiskGO™ HD formatted when it arrives?
Your DiskGO™ HD is formatted as FAT32 when it leaves our facilities. This format is recognizable by both Mac and Windows operating systems.

8) Why do I get an "Error -50" on my Mac when trying to transfer files to the DiskGO™ HD?
This error is due to the differences in file naming rules in the Mac OS and FAT32 files systems. See section b of #9 below for more information on this issue.

9) What are the recommended file formats I should use when I format my drive?
a) If you are a PC user and your source drive, where you intend to copy files from, is NTFS file format, AND you do not intend to use your DiskGO drive in a Macintosh environment, we recommend formatting the DiskGO drive with NTFS file format before you begin copying files to it. If the DiskGO drive is left in the FAT32 file format, you may encounter problems regarding individual file size limitations as NTFS allows files larger than 4GB and FAT32 does not.

b) If you intend to use your DiskGO drive in both Macintosh OS and PC environments, it is important to note that the Mac OS file formats and the PC-based FAT32 file format, which is on the DiskGO drive by default, have different rules regarding file names. Mac OS allows special characters such as *, $, ()...etc. whereas FAT32 does not. When attempting to copy files from your Mac that contain these types of characters, you may encounter an "Error -50" message. To continue to access the DiskGO drive in PC environments, you must leave it's file format as FAT32. Therefore the only resolution for the Error -50 will be to rename the offending file names without the special characters.

Note: For clarification of backup application, this drive is intended for use as a storage device for redundant copies of important files. It is not recommended to keep only a single copy of any important file on this drive or any other. It is always safer to have more than one copy of any important file and for those copies to reside on separate physical disks. Please remember when formatting your drive, all data will be lost and you should back up any files necessary before continuing.

10) Why can I not transfer any files larger than 4GB onto my drive?
Your DiskGO tm HD is formatted as FAT32 when it leaves our facilities. FAT32 does not allow files greater than 4GB in size. If you would like to transfer files of that size onto your DiskGO HD, you will need to format your drive using the NTFS file system.